Duncan will stump for Dems

Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Wednesday said he’ll hit the road next month to campaign with Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.

“I’m going to support candidates that really care about education,” he told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

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Starting in mid-October, Duncan will travel around the country for fundraisers and campaign events. The secretary’s full schedule is still in the works, but it will include stumping for Illinois’ Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias and Rep. Tom Perriello of Virginia.

At the top of Duncan’s list is Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a former superintendent of Denver's schools, who will also getting a hand from first lady Michelle Obama next month.

“I think there’s a chance he’ll be a fantastic voice for education in the Senate for decades to come, frankly,” Duncan said. “So I feel great about supporting a candidate like Bennet. We need leaders in the Senate. We need leaders in the House. We need governors where they want folks voting on their education record. That’s a good thing for this country. I would love every election to be a referendum on what did that governor do, what did that elected official do, for education. I want that conversation.”

And he challenged reporters to push gubernatorial candidates on their states’ “Race to the Top” educational reforms.

“This is becoming a voting issue going into the November elections,” he said. “There’s no downside to that.”

Duncan was adamant that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) would not become speaker. But he admitted, “I have a great working relationship with Mr. Boehner.”